| The Missouri Breaks | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Bob Peak | |
| Directed by | Arthur Penn |
| Written by | Thomas McGuane |
| Produced by | Elliott Kastner Robert M. Sherman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michael Butler |
| Edited by | Dede Allen Gerald B. Greenberg Steven A. Rotter |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million[1] |
| Box office | $14 million[2] |
The Missouri Breaks is a 1976 American Western film starring Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. The film was directed by Arthur Penn, with supporting performances by Randy Quaid, Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest, John McLiam, and Kathleen Lloyd in her film debut. The score was composed by John Williams.
The title of the film refers to a forlorn and very rugged area of north-central Montana, where over eons, the Missouri River has made countless deep cuts or "breaks" in the land.
The film explores various connected themes including the American frontier myth, economic exploitation, and law and order. Like some other films directed by Penn, it has been read as an allegory of capitalism and the American counterculture.[3]
- ^ "AFI|Catalog".
- ^ "The Missouri Breaks (1976)". The Numbers – Where Data and the Movie Business Meet. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
- ^ Kitchen, Will. (2023) Film, Negation and Freedom: Capitalism and Romantic Critique. London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 177-206.